Prediction - Chelsea v Arsenal

Arsenal visit The Bridge in a match that will ultimately define their championship ambitions for this season. Things haven't been looking up for the Gunners in recent weeks and even though they showed some sort of resurgence against Dynamo Kiev mid week, they are still struggling to convert their dominance into goals. Chelsea on the other hand have been cruising along in the league while stuttering in the UCL... most recently a 1-1 draw against Bordeaux. These matches are always tight and it's usually some unsuspecting hero that pops his head up to give his team bragging rights... so in ture PTP fashion I'm going to say Fabergas will bag the first for Arsenal, Solomon Kalou will pop up with the equaliser and then Gael Clichy, with a deflected shot at the death, will win it for the Gunners and keep them in contention for the league.

I predict:
Chelsea 1 v 2 Arsenal

Prediction - Manchester City v Manchester United

The Manchester derby takes place at Eastlands today and I for one can't wait to see Robinho's Sky Blues test their might against the Ronaldo's Red Devils, in what should be an enthralling match. City did the double over United last season and if the two team's form over the last fortnight is anything to go by, it'd almost be safe to say that City will come away from this one with all three points. United's last two matches have ended as scoreless draws and prior to that was a 5-0 demolition of Stoke. City on the other hand drew against Hull then went on to stick 3 past Arsenal and 2 away to Schalke mid week, so they're definitely wearing their scoring boots at the moment. I'd normally come out and say that Man City could pinch this, but Sir Ferg is a master tactician when chips are down , as he proved against Chelsea earlier this season, so you can't write United off just yet. A tough match, a great atmosphere and some big points up for grabs...

I predict:
Manchester City 2 v 2 Manchester United

Champions League - Matchday 5 Review - Wednesday

Internazionale 0 v 1 Panathinaikos

Wow! I don't think many saw this one coming... especially Kova, who commented a little pre-maturely about my predictions... haha. Anyway, the Greeks are in a good spell of form at the moment which I knew they would bring into this match but I didn't expect them to waltz into the San Siro, dominate large portions of the match and keep possession the way they did. It seems as though things are coming to fruition for Ten Cate's men, who also leaped Bayern with this win... I'm still impressed with the way they played... almost bewildered, but don't get me wrong, I expected the Athenians to put up a fight, hence my 1-1 prediction. Not only did they take three points, like a greedy fat chick hogging the buffet, they took the whole turkey and left Inter with zilch... not even a bit of stuffing or that crispy bit of skin around the thighs... I know it's got nothing to do with Europe, Italians or Greeks... but happy Thanks-giving to those of you celebrating and to Pana, happy Thanks-taking... I hope you enjoy your three points, turkey and gravy!


Sporting 2 v 5 Barcelona

I'm gonna stick to the theme of 'taking' for this one. Like taking opportunities, taking free kicks early and taking the mickey out of your opponents at their home ground! If this was an exam, right about now, Pep Guardiola's men would have ticked all of those boxes and would be sitting pretty waiting for the bell to ring so they could go out and score MORE goals. Barca are in scintillating form and I'm really enjoying their play at the moment. They're almost scoring at will and they just make it look so easy. At one stage, I even saw Miguel Veloso of Sporting, sitting at his desk taking notes on Barca's inter-play. He had his coloured markers out and he'd even drawn Messi and Henry holding hands while skipping past Sporting's defenders... true story!


CFR Cluj 1 v 3 Roma

Roma have taken another step in qualifying for the next round by slotting three past CFR Cluj and ultimately leapfrogging Chelsea to the top of Group A. Not bad for a team who only a month ago couldn't string two passes together, lost against the same team and was better at making scrambled egg frittatas with the food being pelted at them than actually playing football. They've turned their fortunes around and are now cooking with gas and the highlight of this delectable meal was a 23rd minute Chef Totti special. A free kick which pinged the top corner and left a nice sour taste in the mouth of the Romanians... mwa, Belissimo!
Ps, this doesn't change the fact that I still think Totti's an arrogant poof! Him and his last minute, penalty taking, World Cup winning thumb! Yeah... you and Fabio Grosso know where it stick it!

Wednesday results:
Bordeaux 1 v 1 Chelsea
CFR Cluj 1 v 3 Roma
Internazionale 0 v 1 Panathinaikos
Anorthosis 2 v 2 Bremen
FC Shakhtar Donetsk 5 v 0 Basel
Sporting 2 v 5 Barcelona
Atlético 2 v 1 PSV
Liverpool 1 v 0 Marseille

Champions League - Matchday 5 Predictions - Wednesday

Wednesday matches:
Bordeaux 0 v 2 Chelsea
CFR Cluj 1 v 2 Roma
Internazionale 2 v 2 Panathinaikos
Anorthosis 1 v 1 Bremen
FC Shakhtar Donetsk 2 v 0 Basel
Sporting 1 v 2 Barcelona
Atlético 2 v 0 PSV
Liverpool 3 v 1 Marseille

Champions League - Matchday 5 Review - Tuesday

Very rarely do Arsenal lose two in a row, as they've done recently and it's even rarer for them to lose three straight. With Fabergas announced as the new captain a day ago, I thought Wenger's timing on this matter was impeccable. A morale booster and some restored faith and with this win, as scrappy as it may have been, he's taken the first step at getting the teams self-belief back. Sure there are other ways to do it, like setting your teenage sensations loose against a Championship team or playing a bunch of underprivileged kids, but that's just not the Wenger way... he likes to respond by getting results when they matter... interesting to see if this belief continues in the league though.


Bayern whacked in 3 against Steaua, who didn't really stand a chance to begin with... and they made it look easy while doing so! I especially liked the way Ze Roberto won a challenge at his own by-line and set Ribery on his pink-prancing way, skipping past two defender and slipping it to Klose for their third of the night. That's eleven straight wins for Klinsmanns men, across all comeptions and they've secured their place in the last 16, where anything can happen... but I'm not convinced, sure they have good players, but they're very vulnerable in defense as well. I'm gonna take a wild stab her and say they'll get knocked out next round... and I don't even know who they'll be playing! That's how confident I am of that.


This match didn't interest me much cause it was one I was expecting Real to win comfortably... so here a few thoughts on Real:

• Madrid really, really need a new set of strikers while van Nistelrooy and Higuain are injured; like an old man getting an erection without Viagra, I think even Raul was surprised with the goal he scored... and Saviola, El Conejito (The Little Rabbit)!? Shiiiit, I didn't even know he was still kicking a ball around! Shouldn't he be preparing for Easter or something!? If Madrid are relying on these two for goals, I think they've got another thing coming... a pension plan and chocolate eggs!


• Heinze is a putz! They need to get rid of this guy and his clumsy feet, the quicker the better. I heard that Unco's United are in need of a bench warmer and he might just make the cut. No one can slice the ball or mis-time a challenge just like him.
  
• And I'm still convinced that Bernd Schuster was/is a pornstar... do what he says or he'll lay his pimp hand dooooown!

Tuesday results:
Villarreal 0 v 0 Man. United
AaB 2 v 1 Celtic
Bayern 3 v 0 Steaua
Fiorentina 1 v 2 Lyon
Fenerbahçe 1 v 2 Porto
Arsenal 1 v 0 FC Dynamo Kyiv
Zenit 0 v 0 Juventus
BATE 0 v 1 Real Madrid

Champions League - Matchday 5 Predictions - Tuesday

Tuesday matches:
Villarreal 1 v 1 Man. United
AaB 1 v 1 Celtic
Bayern 2 v 0 Steaua
Fiorentina 2 v 1 Lyon
Fenerbahçe 1 v 0 Porto
Arsenal 3 v 2 FC Dynamo Kyiv
Zenit 1 v 1 Juventus
BATE 0 v 2 Real Madrid

Review - Tottenham 1 v 0 Blackburn

While Harry continues to pull them out of the bag, Roman keeps sticking them in. No it's not amateur hour at the local sex club, on the contrary, it's the slowly built momentum of an act that has been Tottenham's season. While Harry continues to weave his magic and get results, I continue to wonder why he doesn't put a spell on the hands of Gomes!? Oh that's right I forgot, only dark magic can help vampires, it's crosses that they're no good with. Luckily for Tottenham, no goals were scored this time round, instead Pavlyuchenko was practicing his new found routine up front... Hang at the top of the box, time your run to the near post as the ball gets cut back and bury it back stick! Recently, it's worked here, here and here... finally he's doing his job right!

Match highlights:

Review - Aston Villa 0 v 0 Manchester United

Was it a pen?... wasn't it?... for a moment there I thought I was watching some sort of hybrid Olympic demonstration sport of synchronized diving and spear tackling and the fact that Vidic got away with a "Play on!" was surely worthy of the gold. It was an unlucky decision for Martin O'Neil's men who with that draw, leap-frogged Arsenal into fourth, but oh boy how sweet it would have been if they got one over Sir Ferg and his United mob... so sweet in fact it would have put them into third... ah, the one that got away... wait, hold up! Villa are in the top four!? I guess we really are in a global recession!

Match highlights:


Only my second Villa post ever... that one's for you PD... you villan!

Review - Manchester City 3 v 0 Arsenal

Not even the Berry Pink Mercurial Vapor's of Nicklas Bendtner could help Arsenal overcome the weaving and winding abilities of Robinho and crew as they continuously broke down Gunners play and counter attacked. Stephen Ireland was in inspired form with his Carbon SL's, bagging the games first and getting close on a number of other occasions... then Robinho took over. The Citizens put on a very impressive display indeed.
More worryingly though, this was the second loss for Arsenal in as many weeks and with winter around the corner and a growing injury list, it looks like tough times are ahead for the Wenger boys. Arsene has been keeping his cards close to his chest about the state of affairs over at the Emirates, especially during the so called "saga" with Gallas... and now whispers doing the rounds suggest that some rash decisions are going to be made during the January transfer window... so far my favourite one has been that they'll be employing Captain America during the winter to help strengthen their midfield. From what we're being led to believe, there'll be a change of training and diet regimes which will include exposure to vita-ray treatment, morning shots of Super-Soldier serum and extended shield throwing classes... "Arsenal Assemble!"

Match highlights:

Review - Bahrain 0 v 1 Australia

Australia did just enough to come away with the win against a lively and eager Bahrain... it was a true Robin Hood performance, clinching all three points it at the last minute. Watching the match, I was mortified by Australia's play and so was coach Pim Verbeek:

Bahrain created a lot of chances and they nearly scored from those chances. They played well and have played well so far in the qualifiers but have been unlucky.
We were not good enough and we must improve our performance in our next matches especially as we will play against Japan in our next match

I mentioned in my prediction that I wasn't worried about Australia’s attacking prowess... shit, how wrong I was!
The Aussies struggled to create chances all night and full credit must go to the Bahrainis for putting up such a fight... had they been wearing their scoring boots, the Aussies would have been truly embarrassed. What baffled me the most was why Kennedy played a full match! Every time the ball was played in to him, his baby elephant feet struggled to control the pass and that would stop the flow of the few attacks the Socceroos had conjured up.
I also suggested that the defense would be shaky and wasn't proven wrong. The Neill - Coyne partnership was a nightmare and at times I was convinced I saw Coyne sitting by the side line scoffing down burgers and fries... that's how slow to respond! Must be taking a page out of Scotty Macca’s book... hey Chris!?
It's simple really, the Aussies have to lift their game for the match against Japan in Feb cause if they play like they did last night, they’ll be castrated in true Japanese fashion! Samurai swords and all! Banzai!

Match highlights:


Older Socceroos news
Prediction - Bahrain v Australia
Review - Australia 4 v 0 Qatar
Prediction - Australia v Qatar
Review - Uzbekistan 0 v 1 Australia

Coming soon: Mercurial Vapor IV Berry

Nice boots! Do they make them for men?
Finally, Nike answered Nani's call for a prettier boot and he can now do his ballet moves in the corner, in conform AND style!
Seriously though... what are they thinking? The only legitimate reason I can come up with, besides what I already mentioned above, is that they're preparing for the Women's Euro in 2009... but that isn't till the 23rd August 2009, so surely there's enough time next year to promote these.
Nike don't usually make such decisions without a lot of forethought, so I'm sure there's good reasoning for the berry pink, but if they seriously think a professional "male" player is going to wear these boots in a competitive match (please don't prove me wrong here Ronaldo and/or Nani), I think they've got another thing coming... well either that or the player who wears them is going to have to be really, really fucking quick! Just imagine the amount of people (present company included) that'll be queuing up to slide tackle the knob that even tries to make these look cool. WHACK! Cop that you punce!


An artists impression of Cristiano Ronaldo wearing the Nike Mercurial Vapor IV Berry/Pink at training... notice the laughs he is receiving from everyone?

Promotional video:


Older Nike Mercurial news:
Ronaldo Wins FIFPro Player of The Year
Homage: Mercurial Vapor IV Green
Guess who's back...
In Action: Nike Mercurial Vapor IV
Spotlight: Nike Mercurial SL
Nike Mercurial SL - They've arrived!
Spotlight: Nike Mercurial SL

Prediction - Bahrain v Australia

The weather has settled around the Gulf and the conditions at night are almost ideal for football. Some of Australians key players haven't made the journey over, while others are still feeling the effects of the weekend's matches... this is nothing out of the usual for Pim and co. so it should be business as usual come match day... a 'Robin Hood' if you must... get in steal the three points and get out.
Kewell, Kennedy and Cahill will have their scoring boots at the ready cause it looks like they'll be calling shots up front and in an attacking sense there won't be too many issues... it's defensively where I'm concerned. The Aussies may start a little nervy, with either North and Coyne likely to partner Niel at the back, but two goals to Australia before half time should settle it. Overall, I don't think Bahrain will trouble the Socceroos too much and if the Aussies have a commanding lead of the match early into the second half, it'll be a great opportunity for Pim to test some of the new faces in the squad.

I predict:
Bahrain 0 v 2 Australia

Match streaming:
As always stream the action live at Iraqgoals.com

Response - The state of football: A-League

Much has been written in response to the nonsensical dribble that was spat out by Rebecca Wilson and her article only days ago. I normally don't do this here, but I made a legitimate comment about her article and it was never published... so I'm doing what anyone with an opinion on the matter would do and I'm getting it out there - go me!

Wow, I can't believe that such biased ignorance and bitterness is still aimed at a sport, which in its infancies is kicking goals all over the world. Hear that Rebecca... WORLD! Please enlighten us of the AFLs (global) achievements in the last century. A handful of amateur leagues around the world made up of reminiscent ex-pats or the poor excuse for a post season "International Rules" series perhaps? Talk about crisis, the later involves the use a round ball, goals and a goal keeper! More like identity crisis! Since its inception, a mere four years ago, the A-League has changed the Australian sporting landscape on so many levels and development systems are next. The National Youth League is testament of that and in a couple years we'll see a finer crop of players come through the ranks. Unfortunately, these things take time. Sure our best players want to play in Europe, all players want to. Whether they’re technically sound or not, whether they're from the Americas, Africa or Asia (where great development systems are in place), who wouldn’t want the chance to play against a Ronaldo or Lampard and make AU$150,000 a week!?

Out of curiosity, did you know there was more coverage of the ACL final here in Dubai (4 free to air channels playing both legs live), than there has been of the entire Rugby world cup? Funny that, but of course you didn’t. You were annoyed that a match of this stature interfered with the media coverage of the rugby and following the buzz, deemed it necessary to defame the “rival code” and taint the perception of more Australians. Sounds like that good’ol case of cutting down the tall poppy again. I understand if you felt you had too, heck it’d almost be un-Australian of you not too. In the future Daily Telegraph, before you employ another half-wit to write your football articles consult an expert on the matter or someone who knows about the state of the game in Australia or alternatively, hire me! I've been out of the country for the last 6 months but hands down I'd still know more about the state of the sport back home than Rebecca "sitting snug in her cubicle of an office writing farcical articles" Wilson. Please consider!

Review - Manchester United 5 v 0 Stoke City

Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in United colours with two trademark free kicks, the keeper could have done better with. Regardless though, 100 goals in 4 seasons across all competitions, that's quite an impressive feat. Can he hit the milestone of last years 42... after a slow start to the season, I don't think so, although one thing that does look clearer is that United have just moved up a gear and their assault on the Premier League is about to begin. Terrible weather, injuries and messed up pitches, winter is normally a torrid time for all teams but Sir Ferg has done this all too many times before and with an almost full squad fit and ready, this is going to be one hot winter for any team playing the Red Devils.

Match highlights:

Review - West Brom 0 v 3 Chelsea

That thieving fairy Niklas Anelka was at again on the weekend, scoring another brace and proving why Didier "Not so interested in the Blues anymore" Drogba shouldn't be first choice ahead of him. Admittedly, Anelka has improved his finishing from the six yard box and isn't missing as many silver plated opportunities presenting themselves these days, so I think it's his arrogance (presumably cause he's French), that is really starting to annoy the hell out of me every time I watch Chelsea play. Watch the highlights below and notice how he pushes Kalou away after scoring his first goal to thank the butterfly god's for his flattering abilities... somebody, please net this pansy and bottle him up! Future generations will thank you for it.

Match highlights:

Review - Arsenal 0 v 2 Aston Villa

"Take two steps forward then take two three steps back"!... Paula Abdul was credited for writing that shit and now Arsenal are performing to it! Just as they do the hard work, they mess it up time and time again. Wenger either has to get his defense in order or start playing his young guns. Either way, he has to do something! The thought of Arsenal outside the top 4; disheartening! The thought of Paula Abdul on repeat; nauseating!

Match highlights:

The Redknapp revival continues! Tottenham 4 v 2 Liverpool

Turns out that Adelaide weren't the only red's to go down to the same opponent in the space of a fortnight.
Only eleven days ago Tottenham came from behind to shock Liverpool at Anfield and kick-start their Premiership ambitions again. Since then the Lillywhites have grown in stature and confidence and are looking more like the classy outfit they were recruited to be... but don't get me wrong, this classy outfit barley sits outside the relegation zone in the league so they're more like that classy Russian outfit working the street corner, trying to make their way up the pecking order. You know the kind... mismatching fake-fur garments, purple sequence skirt, pink frilly heels and brand knock-off accessories... Sure their intentions are right and they're working hard for the money, but they have a long way to go before they're taken seriously by anyone.

Match highlights:

Review - Adelaide United 0 v 2 Gamba Osaka

Congratulations are in order as Gamba made Adelaide look below average for the second time in two weeks and while doing so won themselves a piece of silverware, reminiscent of treasure you'd find in ancient Egypt, to add to their trophy cabinet. It's a pity Adelaide couldn't live up to the massive task laid out, even with a full house egging them on and it was an even bigger pity that it took a mere 4 minutes for their enthusiasm to be crushed completely. Talk about a buzz kill! A further 11 minutes later it was goal number 5. At that point I was thinking, shit let it end here, this is getting embarrassing! Thankfully Gamba heard the plead and eased off, slightly.

In all, it was a good campaign for both teams and the better team prevailed. I guess now they can both go back to their leagues and think of the opportunities that await them in the revamped competition next year... oh wait a minute, there won't be an ACL spot for either of the teams next year cause they failed to qualify again. Turns out the rocket scientists at ACL-HQ didn't think the winner deserved the right to defend their title unless they qualified through their respective league... good one you half-wits!... unlucky Gamba.

Young Guns blaze again! Arsenal 3 v 0 Wigan

Great performances are too good ’a posting opportunities to pass up... especially when a near full strength team of "men" get whipped by a team of teenagers. The Wenger Boys are starting to prove a hand full for Premier League teams, let alone the pour souls of the Championship, so I'm posting this cause I find it a wonderful display of fluent, modern football executed with brilliance... It's also quite scary to think of the kind of results this team is possible of achieving in the future.

Match highlights:

Prediction - Adelaide United v Gamba Osaka

Reds coach Aurelio Vidmar knows that his team will be pushing shit uphill tomorrow night... actually it'll be more like a pushing it up a mountain while being chased by a mob of crazy little Japanesies:

It's a very big mountain to climb - Mount Fuji probably - but we'll go out there and do everything we can. That's all we can really ask for."

So are Adelaide going to win? Shit, if you asked me last week I would have said there was more hope of ninja's finding water on the moon... but this week, I'm getting a different vibe and things look slightly more promising for the Aussies. Gamba lost their match on the weekend and have also had three of their main players called up to the national team squad, so they'll want to slow things down right from the start. Sure they have the squad depth, but some of their steam has been taken away so I think Adelaide will get close to pulling back the deficit, like get it to 2-0 but then concede late in the match cause they'll get caught going forward again. Either way it'll be a gallantry showing by the Reds and a (somewhat) good way to end this ACL campaign... unfortunately though they'll miss it by that much.

I predict:
Adelaide United 2 v 1 Gamba Osaka

Replica Jersey Giveaway

In my never ending search for internet football immortality through the cesspit that is the internet, I came across a glimmer of hope, a shimmer of light, some freshness in amongst this stale climate; a competition to win a replica football jersey of your choice! It was easy enough to enter and I reckon it's gonna be pretty easy to win cause like I said before I'm the supreme internet football immortal and I'm ice-cool too! Hey you might win one too cause they're giving them away for everyday of this week, starting tomorrow... but you gotta be in it to win it... so get over there and tell'em some football trivia that amuses them.

Need Ideas?
Tell them who's teeth are brighter Ronaldinho's or Mr. Ed's.
Or how much weight ex-Brazilian ace Ronaldo puts on a day... in chocolate.
You get the idea...

Competition link:
Soccerpro.com

Review - Arsenal 2 v 1 Manchester United

Billed as the match of the weekend and watched by some 800 million! households around the world, this was a match Arsenal haaaad to win. As I suggested earlier this week, it was more so for the sake of their poor manager Arsene Whiner... oh and the unsuspecting Adebayor. Anyway, Wenger knew it too:

It was a very important result because I imagined what would have happened if we lost," said Wenger, whose side overtook United in the table

So on the young Gunners biggest occasion of the season so far, up-stepped the 21 year old Samir Nasri, two times, to inflict Man Yoo's second loss of the season and put Arsenal's flailing season back on track. It was a superb game of football to watch, with both teams going hell for leather, from whistle to whistle whilst at the same time living up to its expectations. I like how the top four and occasionally rank outsiders keep taking points off each other. It's going to make for an interesting race for the title, kind'a like when a fresh penis new man moves into Wisteria Lane; the claws come out, focus suddenly shifts and the women trample everything in their quest to mount it. If it so happens that they take out another lady's eye in the process, then lucky them... not only do you now have three eyes but they're also on top of the hottest asset in the street and that's where everyone wants to be. So I guess the only thing missing from this comparison is the lingerie... wait, wait, no, sorry... I forgot about Nani and C.Ronaldo. Turns out the Prem. League and Desperate Housewives are almost exactly alike!

Match highlights:(sorry about the quality, this is all I could find)
First half

Second half

Champions League - Matchday 4 Review - Wednesday

A resurgent Juventus, captained by one Alessandro "In the form of his life" Del Piero, took home all three points from the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. Del Piero's brace stole the show as he showed how clinical he can be, even from distance. And while Juve were without half of their first team squad, struck down by injury, they still managed to outshine Madrid on the attack. Los Merengues, who have only won two of their last six matches in all competitions, may start feeling the pressure of their poor form soon. Could this mark the beginning of the end for Bernd "I'm here to clean ze pool" Schuster? A couple more loses and he'll be outta there quicker than a cheating wife's toy boy when her husband pulls up in the driveway.


It didn't take long for the pint sized Ozzie to doink the ball over fill-in keeper Ben Foster and put Celtic ahead... 12minutes in fact. Although one must wonder if the outcome would have been the same had Van der Sar been in goals. Not to take credit away from S.Macca, it was a quality chip against quality opponents, I just thought that the keeper was wrongly positioned for it... I also though United would have put on more of a show and walked out of Celtic Park with all three points... well thanks to the late heroics by Giggs, they were lucky enough to even get one. They face Arsenal this weekend... who are currently having issues of their own!


Speaking of Arsenal, Arsene Wenger seems really frustrated with his team and their inability to make their territorial dominance count. I mean, he always looks frustrated, it's expected... he's French; no this look is more like the angry, hateful, half a dozen whiskey doubles and trouser belt clenched in his hand kind of frustration. And with United visiting the Emirates on the weekend you just know that if they keep up this unpredictable form, sooner, rather than later, he's going to blow his lid and do something very irrational. One could only hope it involves Adebayor, some duct tape and a car door being slammed multiple times, real, real hard... you know, just to prove the point that you need to hit the target in order to inflict damage.

Results:
AaB 2 v 2 Villarreal
Celtic 1 v 1 Man. United
Fiorentina 1 v 1 Bayern
Lyon 2 v 0 Steaua
Arsenal 0 v 0 Fenerbahçe
Dynamo Kyiv 1 v 2 Porto
BATE 0 v 2 Zenit
Real Madrid 0 v 2 Juventus

Review - Gamba Osaka 3 v 0 Adelaide United - Lirst Leg

3-0 to Gamba and game over for Adelaide!
Going off Adelaide's performance this evening, I don't even think they should bother showing up for the rematch. They lacked the determination and conviction that they have shown in so many of their previous ACL matches thus far. Maybe it was the occasion itself, or the thought that they were on the verge of Australia sporting history... heck maybe it was a not quite right lunch, I don't know, the point is they played terrible and it will come back to bite them. As recently as two weeks ago, Adelaide proved just how hard it was to overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit when they held out against Kuruvchi and only lost 1-0 away, which means that Gamba will need to play with 10, no 9 men for much of the second leg and perhaps be blindfolded, in order for them to lose.
The climb up this steep hill won't be helped by the fact that Vidmar will be without the services of Galekovic and Costanzo who earned yellow cards, ruling them out of the second leg; and off the pitch Adelaide's fans will need to practice their singing, cause I can't see them matching the atmosphere that was Expo 70 Stadium... those suckers didn't shut up for the whole match!

With all this said and the fact that the Japanese outfit were far superior in their fitness, style and ability... overturning three goals isn't exactly impossible, as was proven when Liverpool took on Ac Milan in the UCL final 3 years ago... only thing is these Red's ain't from Merseyside, they're from the city of churches... which might just work if some South Australian's can make a direct call to God in need of 3 or more goals... they're in desperate need of a Divine intervention.

Prediction - Gamba Osaka v Adelaide United

It’s been billed as the most anticipated match in Australian club football history. It’s build up as epic as the US presidential election, minus the USD$40 million spent along the way. The time is upon Adelaide to fly the flag for not only South Australian football, but for Australian football as a whole and demonstrate that Australians can contribute to world football. Adelaide's achievements; Stellar. Their work rate; Dazzling. Their attitude; Inspiring. Forget Barack Obama and the petty issues he has to deal with. Vote Vidmar! Vote Adelaide! Australia’s only real chance at world domination!

I predict:
Gamba Osaka 1 v 1 Adelaide United

Champions League - Matchday 4 Predictions - Wednesday

Wednesday matches
AaB 2 v 3 Villarreal
Celtic 1 v 2 Man. United
Fiorentina 1 v 1 Bayern
Lyon 3 v 1 Steaua
Arsenal 2 v 0 Fenerbahçe
Dynamo Kyiv 1 v 1 Porto
BATE 1 v 2 Zenit
Real Madrid 2 v 2 Juventus

Champions League - Matchday 4 Review - Tuesday

After a draw and two losses, the pressure was on for Panathinaikos to get results in Germany, especially after Werder's demolition of Hertha Berlin at the weekend... and like an ancient Athenian army they stepped up and delivered the killer blows to got the three points. They've been at the bottom of this group since matchday 1 and with this win they're in with a chance of getting second spot and tea-bagging Anorthosis as well as Bremen.

Goal of the season contender:
Giorgios Karagounis scored one of the best goals you will see in the Champions League this season. Watch as the Greek ace, turns and sends this belter into the top corner!



For all those still scratching themselves in dismay as to how an almost full strength Chelsea team was embarrassed by an out of sorts Roma, you should be counting your blessings instead. Of late, Chelsea have become a little too arrogant in their approach to the Champions League, almost expecting that they're going to make the finals and 'Big Phil' confirmed that in his pre-match press conference yesterday:

If the hotel accepts we’ll book it for next year," he said. "I will be very happy to come back here in May".

Note to Chelsea: Wake up and smell the humble pie cooling on the windowsill. 4 out of 5 nutritionists say you shouldn't start your day without it... especially when you take the Champions League for granted! Full marks to Roma for putting their woes behind them temporarily and saving their coaches ass. The UCL hasn't been fair to them in previous years and I honestly thought this might be another one of those nights... guess I forgot to eat my piece of the pie too.


Im sick of the all handouts Liverpool receive from the referees, especially when they're playing at home and even more so when shooting at the Kop end goal. The dubious penalty decision awarded to Gerrard in the 94th minute was a real kick in the nuts for Atlético who played a disciplined match and who, like most teams visiting Anfield, soaked up most of the pressure. The 'Great Pretenders' managed to avaiod a second censecutive defeat, only just and now have what should be an easy run toward qualification of the next phase. After this win, I also heard that they were changing their name to 'Welfare FC' in honour of all the referee handouts they've been given over time... that should fit right into Merseyside.

Results:
CFR Cluj 1 v 2 Bordeaux
Roma 3 v 1 Chelsea
Anorthosis 3 v 3 Internazionale
Bremen 0 v 3 Panathinaikos
Sporting 1 v 0 Shakhtar
FC Barcelona 1 v 1 Basel
Liverpool 1 v 1 Atlético
Marseille 3 v 0 PSV

Champions League - Matchday 4 Predictions - Tuesday

Tuesday matches
CFR Cluj 2 v 1 Bordeaux
Roma 0 v 2 Chelsea
Anorthosis 0 v 1 Internazionale
Bremen 1 v 2 Panathinaikos
Sporting 1 v 0 Shakhtar
FC Barcelona 4 v 0 Basel
Liverpool 1 v 1 Atlético
Marseille 2 v 2 PSV

Review - Chelsea 5 v 0 Sunderland

Chelsea seem to have put their loss against Liverpool well and truly behind them... as if the thrashing of Hull mid-week wasn't evidence of that and they got off to a flier against Sunderland, scoring early and then never looking back. They're almost destroying teams at will and as embarrassing as it may be for the opposing team, you can't help but be entertained by their smooth passing and blasé attempts at goal. Goal-snatcher of the year, Niklas Anelka managed to tap-in the easiest hat-trick ever... yes even easier than Robinho's last week, bagging his first after he literally stole the ball from the foot of Florent Malouda (should have been judged off side anyway). Anelka has built his career on goal snatching and thievery and this got me thinking... Does anyone know the last time he scored a descent goal? I'm guessing it was back in the fifteenth century when thievery in France was punishable by death... after that I think it just became finders keepers.

Match highlights:

Review - Tottenham 2 v 1 Liverpool

As if you didn't know this was coming!?... Liverpool "The Great Pretenders" were sooner rather than later going to come unstuck and drop points to some bottom feeders. It just so turns out it was Tottenham and at a time when every point matters. Anyway, the Reds aren't a Championship winning team... they're just not clinical enough and even thought they did just enough against Chelsea last week, I wasn't entirely convinced that they would remain on top for too long; this result proves it. Meanwhile, the Hotspurs revival just keeps getting better. From beyond the grave, they've managed to leap into third last and with two wins and a draw in their last three matches, Harry 'Houdini' Redknapp, is looking more like a magical escapologist than a manager... although I wouldn't be jumping to any conclusions just yet; when Pavlyuchenko is bagging you winners there is cause for concern and this may all be part of some grand illusion... nerver the less, Tottenham still have a long way to go.

Match highlights: